Beverages such as beer may be packaged in containers such as aluminum cans or glass bottles. A retailer will typically store such containers in a refrigerator that maintains the temperature of the beverage therein at about 40 degrees F. However, a beverage such as beer is generally more desirable to a consumer when it is at a reduced temperature, for example, at about 32 degrees F. In addition to tasting more refreshing, a beverage such as beer at a reduced temperature does not produce as much foam when the container is opened.
A basic convection refrigeration unit consists of a compressor that compresses refrigerant in a gaseous form and sends it to a condenser, which removes heat from the gas and allows it to condense into a liquid. The liquid refrigerant is then sent through a device that causes a drop in the pressure thereof, and then it is sent through an evaporator consisting of cooling coils. Air flow within a refrigerator compartment, which may be enhanced with the use of a fan, allows the refrigerant in the cooling coils to absorb heat from the surrounding area in a refrigerator compartment, thereby chilling products stored therein through the heat transfer method known as convection. The heated refrigerant, which is converted to a gaseous form in the evaporator, is then sent back to the compressor in order to complete the cycle.
While convection effectively chills beverage-filled containers stored in a refrigerator compartment, a more rapid and efficient method of chilling a beverage-filled container to a reduced temperature that is more desirable to a consumer would be through another heat transfer method known as conduction. Thus, it would be generally desirable to provide a low-cost refrigeration unit that primarily uses conduction in order to rapidly chill a beverage-filled container and the beverage therein.